[advance to: Worship - part 2]
     Good Morning on this Lord’s Day morning and welcome to the Berean Break.  My name is George Sinkie and I am so glad that you have joined me this morning.  As always, I hope that you have your Bible handy so that you can learn the truth from God and so that you can check out what I say to make sure that it is the truth.  For the next two programs, we are going to consider several points on the topic of worship.  We are going to look at an acrostic for the word worship and one point for each of those letters.  These programs are not going to deal with specific acts of worship, but rather with some basic and general principles that apply to worship.  Before we go into that let’s have a word of prayer,

Great and Loving God in heaven, Thank You for this new day in our lives.  And thank You for Your word that we can study.  Help us to be sincere and honest as we search the Scriptures.  Lord I thank You for this opportunity to share Your word with others.  Help us all to submit to Your will.  We thank You for Jesus through whom we can have salvation.  Help us to submit to Your will.  And receive Your free gift of salvation.  In Jesus’ Name!!  AMEN !!

     First of all, let’s consider what the Bible means by the word worship.  The most commonly used word in the New Testament that is translated worship, means to kiss toward.  It is the idea of bowing down before and giving your love to the “object” of your worship.  Other words show giving awe and respect and reverence to the “object” of the worship.  As we go through this lesson please keep in mind that the “object” of our worship should be God.  We have accounts in the Scriptures of people worshipping idols, other men, the apostles, and angels, but these are all shown to be wrong.  Now please don’t misunderstand and think that I am saying we should not respect these things.  We should respect them, but the respect we give them needs to be within the teachings of the Bible.  Often we think of worship in relationship to a religion and this is a true relationship.  Our religion is based upon what we worship.  We cannot have the right religion and worship in the wrong way, and neither can we worship the right way and have the wrong religion.  With true religion and true worship it is more than just having a couple of things right and being wrong in other areas.  We need to use the Bible and the Bible alone as the standard for our religion and worship.  As always this truth is presented in love and there is no intent to put down those who may believe any of the false doctrines that are in this world, but it is my hope that these truths will be accepted and applied into your life.
     Let’s begin now looking at the acrostic for the word “worship.”  For the letter “W” consider the word willingly.  God has always given man a choice as to whether he will serve God or not.  This is what is sometimes called free moral agency.  Part of our worship of God deals with our giving and it is in this regard that Paul writes to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 8:12

   12 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have.

     Readiness deals with the persons willingness and their own desire to give.  Paul writes about this also in 2 Corinthians 9:7

   7 Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.

     This is where God’s true religion is so different from the religions of men.  Some religions of men “force” people to do things.  Consider some examples from history, The Inquisition was Catholicism forcing people to accept its man-made doctrines.  The Crusades were much the same thing.  Another example is a friend of mine told me of a religious group, that followed the teachings of John Calvin, when he was a part of that false system they would have the members fill out a card for what they would give over a year’s time.  Then they kept track of it and would even take the members to court if they did not give the amount they said they would.  Worship?  Yes.  The true worship?  No.

     The next letter in Worship is “O” and the word of the acrostic is orderly.  God has always given man a plan for how to serve Him.  Never, ever has God left it up to man to decide what is right and what is wrong.  That is why God gave His word so we would know what to do.  God wants the service that Man gives to Him to be orderly that is why is says that  Noah had a pattern and built the Ark according to that pattern.  Moses received a pattern and set up the Mosaic system according to that pattern.  Under the New Covenant God gave a pattern and we need to follow it.  Paul again writing to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 14:40,

   40 But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner.

     This part of true worship has also been distorted by man, I have been told of man-made religious systems where the member lose control of themselves in the “worship services,” quote, unquote.  They bark like dogs, stand on their heads, and roll on the floor all because they say they are filled with the spirit.  They are filled with a spirit but it is not the Spirit of God.

     “R” is the third letter of worship and considering the true worship that we are looking at, it needs to be reverent.  The Hebrews writer says in Hebrews 12:28

   28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

     Respect for God is so out of fashion these days, but don’t confuse that with religion being out of fashion.  People want to be religious – they just don’t want to have respect for God.  Consider for example this case from California, more that 150 ministers with the United Methodist Church officiated either personally or in abstentia at what they called a “holy union” of two lesbians.  This is not showing respect for God or His word.  Yet people follow this as their religion and think they are right with God.  Another case that should be appalling to those who want to follow God was a conference organized by a group calling themselves the Council for Ecumenical Student Christian Ministry.  Sounds like it could be good on the surface, after all it does say Christian Ministry.  But consider what over 1300 young people and campus ministers heard and applauded.  They heard Desmond Tutu, called an Anglican Archbishop, from South Africa say the church should fully accept homosexuality and celebrate sex as a wonderful gift of God.  Now sex within the marriage covenant of God is truly a wonderful gift, but that has nothing whatsoever to do with homosexuality.  These young people also heard Mark Rutledge, a United Church of Christ minister, (and let me say right here that there is no relationship between the United Church of Christ, which is a man-made religious group, and the church of Christ, which is the Lord’s church we can read about in the Bible.)  They heard Mark Rutledge say in a Jesus Seminar, that he didn’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus and also that the early Christians were making it up as they went along and later he added, “I might have to reject a Jesus who makes Himself mediator between man and God.”  Now if you have trouble seeing how these things do not show reverence to God, I would like to study with you.

     The fourth letter of worship is “S” and true worship is always sincere.  Paul wrote to the church in Philippi concerning this in Philippians 1:9-11,

   9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,
   10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
   11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

     See how knowledge and sincerity and praise are all combined in these verses.  Now sincerity is great but if it is not based upon true knowledge it is not pleasing to God.  Throughout history there have been people who sincerely sacrificed their children to crocodiles, that is not the sincerity of the true religion.  People have sincerely followed the teachings of men and done many things, but if they have not done the will of the Father they commit lawlessness.  Listen to these words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23

   21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
   22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
   23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

     Sincere?  Yes.  Saved?  No.  If our sincerity is not based on the Bible, that is the will of God, then we are sincerely wrong and need to change according to the truth.
     We will continue to look at this acrostic of general principles dealing with worship, next week.  To recap what we have seen today our worship needs to be done willingly, and orderly, and reverently and sincerely.  And as always the standard that we use to check these things out is the Word of God.
     Very briefly I want to share a thought with you.  A seeker of truth mentioned to me that he had hear that creeds and catechisms were like road maps.  This makes them sound so helpful and needed, until you really consider them.  The Bible is God’s road map, if you will allow me to use that terminology.  Since the Bible is the complete and accurate map of how God wants us to live our lives, why would we want anything else?  Those who followed God in the first century didn’t need these creeds or catechisms and they could follow God completely, we can do the same thing today.  Man-made creeds and catechisms are just another sneaky, or may not so sneaky, way that man tells God, He just doesn’t know how to best guide men.  For those who are seeking truth, the best and the only guide will be the Bible.  It is my creed and my catechism, but it is not man-made, it is God-breathed.  I hope that you will not fall for man’s clever little illustrations, because they just are not in harmony with the truth.

[advance to: Worship - part 2]